170/365 Growing fast

19 Wednesday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, gull chicks, gull nest among chimney pots, Lesser black-backed gull, urban gull nest

It’s time for an update on the Lesser black-backed gulls who are rearing their brood among the chimney pots on a house in the next street to mine.

190619 lesser black-backed gull chicks (1)

First off, though I thought initially that there were only two, there are, in fact, three chicks, though one is significantly bigger than the other two and much more aggressive when it comes to demanding food from its parents.

190619 lesser black-backed gull chicks (2)

I was a little worried that all the recent rain might have caused them problems as the parents seem to leave them on their own a lot but they all look reasonably healthy so far (they’re at least two weeks old now).

190619 lesser black-backed gull

It must take a lot of effort from the parents to keep their hunger satisfied – if it ever is. I spotted one of the parents with a long bit of fish – young eel? – hanging out of its mouth the other day. I bet that soon got gobbled up when it was later regurgitated. Another progress report soon!

190619 lesser black-backed gull chicks (3)

166/365 Whitethroat family

15 Saturday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common whitethroat, Whitethroat, Whitethroat fledgling

Braving the continuing rain, I walked a new path today, one seldom walked by others judging by how overgrown it was. The choice was a good one. As well as a couple of unexpected butterflies and some gorgeous orchids, I surprised a family of Whitethroats, the two parents and their three fledglings (two of them pictured here) browsing amongst the low shrubs, scratchy brambles and prickly gorse bushes. I froze and, after a couple of minutes, they ignored me and continued searching for snacks. It was a real delight to watch them.

190615 whitethroat fledgling (1)

163/365 ‘Feed me!’

12 Wednesday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 5 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Dipper, Dipper chick, Dipper feeding its chick, Radyr Weir

I didn’t spot the fledgling Dipper at first, its pale brown, grey and yellow tones blending in perfectly with the dull hues of old concrete and rusty metal.

190612 dippers (1)

Then I spotted the adult Dipper flying towards the weir and, as soon as the young one opened its mouth, that bright orange gape was impossible to miss. It shouted ‘Feed me!’

190612 dippers (2)

Four times I watched the adult bird fly off downstream, desperately searching around stones and under water for more tasty titbits.

190612 dippers (3) 190612 dippers (4) 190612 dippers (5)

As soon as it had a mouthful, back to its chick it flew, to deposit the snacks into that wide and ravenous orange mouth. I really don’t know how bird parents find the energy to keep up their constant effort. What an incredible job they do in rearing their young!

190612 dippers (6)

162/365 Waiting for Lindsay

11 Tuesday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 4 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Carrion crow, crows in the rain

190611 crow in the rain (2)

There’s a man I’ve got to know during my wanders around the local country park, Lindsay, who feeds the birds on a (I think) daily basis. But it’s not the small birds – the robins, the tits, the finches – that he feeds; it’s the crows. He walks the same route, and the birds know it, and what time to expect him. These two crows, sitting on fence posts in the light rain, appear to be wondering where he is, scrutinising each passing human to see if it’s him, wondering if he will still come in the rain. Don’t worry, crows, I do believe he will!

190611 crow in the rain (1)

156/365 The eggs have hatched!

05 Wednesday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 5 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, chicks on rooftop, gull chicks, Lesser black-backed gull, urban gull chicks

Hearty congratulations to Mr and Mrs Lesser black-backed gull, who are now the proud parents of two chicks – at least, I can only see two – there may be more. You might remember that I posted about them nest-building back on 26 April and then again, on 10 May, to say I’d noticed they were now sitting full-time on the nest. Fingers crossed that the chicks flourish and don’t fall out from amongst the chimney pots. I will post another update in a week or so.

190605 LBB chicks

150/365 The squire of the spire

30 Thursday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, blackbird, blackbird on church spire, British birds, singing blackbird, Turdus merula

I know Blackbirds like to find a nice high location from which to sing their lovely warbling melody but this local Blackbird has shunned the chimney pots and tree tops to seek out the highest possible spot he can find, the top of the only church spire in town. Several times a day he’s up there, announcing his presence, advertising his territory, spreading joy to all who hear him … except, perhaps, other male Blackbirds.

149/365 Goldfinch foraging

29 Wednesday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Goldfinch, Goldfinches foraging

It’s been cold, wet and windy all day but the family’s got to be fed. So, along with all the other birds with hungry chicks to feed, Mr and Mrs Goldfinch have been working hard despite the inclement weather.

190529 goldfinch (1)

I’ve heard them several times in the ornamental cherry at the front of my house and found them twice foraging in the gutters out back.

190529 goldfinch (2)

I’m not sure what they’re finding – wind-blown seeds of some kind perhaps. It doesn’t look enough to satisfy a nest full of rumbling tums but I guess, for today, it will have to do.

190529 goldfinch (3)

146/365 House building

26 Sunday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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#365DaysWild, birding, birds' nests on houses, birdwatching, British birds, House martin, House martin nests

The House martins are back in town and have started refurbishing, renovating and rebuilding their nests so they can get on with breeding this year’s offspring. There’s one particular local street where the architecture of the houses suits them perfectly – the upper-storey windows have a decorative moulding which could almost have been purposely designed to have a nest propped upon it.

190526 house martins (1)

And what amazing nests they are! Imagine having to build your own home by flying to and from the muddy bank of a nearby stream, river or pond with small amounts of mud in your mouth, back and forth for hours until you’ve formed a structure that will safely house your eggs and later chicks.

190526 house martins (3)

Sorry these photos aren’t great – the day’s been wet and grey, and it’s a little dark under the eaves so I’ve had to ramp up the light on these shots so you can get the picture.

190526 house martins (2)

144/365 Humbugs

24 Friday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

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#365DaysWild, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Great Crested Grebe, Great crested grebe chicks, Humbugs

Some days it’s only Nature that keeps me sane – today was one of those days and these gorgeous creatures played a big part in restoring my sanity and making me grin from ear to ear. In case you don’t know, this is a Great crested grebe and its two chicks, which are often referred to as Humbugs because of their resemblance to the black-and-white-striped sweet of that name.

190524 Great crested grebe (1)

I think this is their Dad who’s carrying them – Mum, a smaller version of Dad, was nearby. The parents take turns protecting their chicks by carrying them on their backs. I’m not sure if that gaping beak is a yawn or a wish to be fed – I suspect the former.

190524 Great crested grebe (2)

Dad was getting quite upset at this point because a fight between a Coot and a Mallard was coming a little too close for comfort.

190524 Great crested grebe (3)

Calm restored. Snoozing bookends!

190524 Great crested grebe (4)

Curiosity! Soon after this, the closest chick ventured out on to the water for a very brief moment before deciding it was much safer and more comfortable on Dad’s back.

137/365 Redgies

17 Friday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 1 Comment

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birding, birding in Kent, birdwatching, British birds, Sedge warblers

One of our frequent challenges during our Kent birding trip was to tell apart the song of the Reed and Sedge warblers, and so we nicknamed them ‘Redgies’.

190517 sedge warblers (1)

In fact, I had my ear reasonably well tuned, as I’d spent some time listening to recordings in the previous weeks, as I tried to find these birds in my local area. And, as well as their preferred habitats being slightly different – Reed warblers really do prefer reed beds, while Sedge warblers like scrubby areas near water – they also exhibit different behaviour: the Reed warblers skulk more and I didn’t manage to get a single photo of them, whereas the Sedgies seem to be little exhibitionists, frequently sitting in a prominent position to belt out their song.

190517 sedge warblers (2)